One Last Hope
by Icicle26
Summary: Selphie's is trouble, and Seifer has to save her. hehe. selfer. i love selfers!!
1. Selphie

Disclaimer: don't own don't own don't own.   
  
  
  
(A/N: This is my first fic so be nice ok? *grinz*)  
  
  
  
"Seifer..."  
  
Seifer blinked. Where was he? It was dark, and cold. All was quiet but for a small voice calling out his name. He knew that voice. He was sure of it, but somehow, he just couldn't quite put his finger on it. He looked around anxiously, his green eyes sweeping the landscape frantically, searching, searching. But there was nothing. He tried to move, and found himself flailing helplessly. It was as though he was falling, yet it was not the same...somehow...  
  
Seifer's eyes flew open. He noticed he was shaking slightly, and took a few deep breaths to calm himself. "Not again..." he muttered to himself. It had been two weeks, and every night, it was the same dream, over and over again. Seifer couldn't understand it. Every night, he would find himself in the exact same place, yet in his dream he never knew where he was, or what was going to happen. And it was always the same voice, calling out his name, and he never knew who it was.   
  
Seifer sighed and rolled over in his bed. It was time to get up. He shouldn't be letting such a silly dream bother him. It was just coincidence. Plain coincidence. Wasn't it?  
  
  
  
Selphie's head slumped forward onto her chest. "Be strong..." she told herself, over and over again. "Just be strong." She had to admit however, that her optimism was slowly draining away. It had been just over two weeks, and things were not looking up. She wondered when she would ever get out. True, it had been foolish of her to try to capture the Hoods single-handedly, (dumb name. I know) but the thought of letting them get away had been too much for her. The Hoods were an infamous group, who were constantly breaking into homes, taking whatever they could, from cash to innocent lives. Selphie hated them.   
  
One night, Selphie was walking back from Balamb town when she saw them from a distance, with large sacks over their shoulders. They were chuckling victoriously, and their eyes glinted wickedly in the moonlight. Something inside Selphie snapped, and, without thinking, she sprinted after them, clutching her nunchaku tightly in her hand.   
  
At the sound of her boots stomping noisily after them, the gang turned, just as Selphie hit the leader squarely on the back of his head with her nunchaku. He barely flinched, and responded with a quake spell that threw Selphie off her feet. Before she could regain her balance, however, she felt something hit her hard in the head, and darkness slowly engulfed her as she sank helplessly to the ground.   
  
When she woke up, Selphie found herself in a small cell, in a cave. Her head was spinning, and she was shaking from the cold. And here she was now. Now and then, one of the men would pop in to feed her, and they never failed to torment her every time, both physically and mentally. Selphie wondered how much more she could take. She was their prisoner, and there was nothing she could do about it. Just thinking about it made her tremble with rage.   
  
During those two weeks, Selphie had done a lot of thinking. She thought about her life, and reflected upon her actions. But most of all, she thought about her friends, the people she had grown up with, the people she considered her family, the only family she ever knew. Would they miss her? Were they looking for her? Were they worried about her? Mad at her, maybe? Selphie shook her head miserably, convinced that she would never be free. There was no way of escape, and her kidnappers would surely not let her go scot-free. They would probably kill her, Selphie thought, then she would never see anyone again, and would never hear the voices of the people she loved so much. "I wish I could have said bye," she thought. "Or maybe I should have got to know them a little better...people like...Seifer."  
  
Seifer. He was one person Selphie never really got to know. She had only seen him briefly during the SeeD practical exam in Dollet, and when they had to fight against him. After the whole Ultemecia incident, and Seifer had come back to garden, Selphie never really saw much of him. People said he had changed a little, that he no longer taunted others, but in other ways, he was still very much the same. Before, Selphie had been too involved with Irvine to notice Seifer, but now that she was single again, she had begun to think about Seifer. A lot. She couldn't understand it herself. He wasn't really her type, but in some way, she found him rather attractive. He always seemed so strong and full of confidence. "If only he were here now, maybe this wouldn't be so bad," she thought wistfully.   
  
Tears ran down her cheeks, and she lowered her head slowly. "Seifer..." she whispered. "If you're listening, then come save me...I need you..."  
  
"Seifer..."   
  
  
  
  
A/N: Yay my first chapter!!! Hehehe...yeah I know it's crap and all that but...just review ok? Heehee. Finally...I've written a story... 


	2. Not Giving Up

Disclaimer: Don't own anything! I'm not square! I'm rectangular! Gosh that was lame. *sheepish look*

A/N: Hi hi again! Hopefully this chappie will be a little longer than the last one…happy reading and don't forget to review!!! 

Seifer made his way groggily to the 2f classroom, still feeling a little uneasy because of his dream. Time and time again, Seifer tried to push it to the back of his mind, but it always popped up somehow, haunting him and sending shivers down his spine, like it was doing now. The voice of the girl was still ringing in his head, calling out to him, pleading with him to help her. Seifer wished he could, but how could he help someone he didn't even know? He shook his head angrily. 

As he entered the classroom, the sight of Quistis sitting at the front of the classroom with a worried expression on her face greeted him. He took his seat at the back of the classroom, and noted for the hundredth time how much she had matured ever since the Ultemecia incident. No wonder she had been made an instructor again, and had even promised her students that she would not mess up this time around. The Trepies were elated. 

" I won't mess up this time!" he remembered her saying, and how he, too, had echoed her words inside his head. 

"I won't mess up this time," he had sworn determinedly to himself. "I'll become a SeeD next year. I'll show everyone!" 

Seifer nodded. The SeeD exam was in two months, and Seifer was determined to pass it. He had to show Squall and everyone else at garden that Seifer Almasy wasn't the enemy anymore, that he could be trusted with anything. Although Squall had forgiven him, Seifer still wanted to let him see that he truly had become a good person. 

Quistis cleared her throat, and Seifer looked up quickly. She was tapping her fingers impatiently on the desk, waiting for the students to settle down. When the room was quiet, she spoke.

"The search team for Selphie Tilmitt has returned, and they have reported that…Selphie is nowhere to be found. It's been two weeks now, and Headmaster Cid has decided to call off the search." 

She spoke calmly, and her voice was steady, but Seifer could see the wild fear in her eyes. Selphie was one of her closest friends, and her disappearance was killing her. 

It was killing him too, he suddenly realized. Selphie. The little messenger girl. She had fought against him during the Sorceress War, and Seifer had loved the spunky gleam in her eye, as well as her happy-go-lucky ways, although he hardly knew her. He wasn't in love with her, but somehow, he just couldn't swallow the fact that Selphie would be gone. Forever. 

All around him, people were murmuring, saying how sad it was that Selphie would no longer be with them. Everyone liked Selphie. She could cheer anyone up with her happy laughter and infectious giggles. Seifer put his head in his hands. 

(A/N: Oh no…this is getting boring. Ok I'll speed it up.)

Quistis cleared her throat again, and silence gradually filled the room. She began going through a few rules that had been broken recently, but Seifer wasn't listening. He wondered how they could have given up on her so easily. Selphie was well-known and liked in Garden, and the Garden Festival would cease to exist without her. How Headmaster Cid could have called off the search after just two weeks was beyond Seifer's comprehension. 

Soon, homeroom was over, and the students trooped out gloomily. As Seifer walked into the elevator, the voice of the girl in his dream echoed in his head once more. 

__

"Seifer…"

"I…need you…"

Seifer blinked. She didn't just say she needed him…or did she? 

The elevator went down slowly, and as he walked towards his dorm, Seifer was lost in thought. 

The girl hadn't said she needed him in the dream. So why did he think she had said it? "Maybe she's a real person…maybe she really is calling out to me now. Maybe she's in trouble. Maybe she's like Selphie…"

__

Wait a minute.

Seifer paused, replaying the girl's voice over and over again in his head. There was no mistaking it this time. 

It _was_ Selphie! 

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Selphie opened her eyes slowly, blinking, her eyes adjusting to the bright light. She could make out a figure of a man standing in front of her, shining a torchlight in her face. She winced slightly. 

"Dinner," the man muttered, tossing a little packet on the floor. Selphie growled menacingly. "You're not gonna get away with this!" she yelled angrily.

The man looked at her, slight amusement on his face. Two weeks, and she hadn't lost all of her spunk. "Of course we are," he muttered (seems that muttering is his only way of communication). "Once we decide where to dump your corpse, you'll be dead before you can even scream." With that, he turned and left.

Selphie looked at the packet lying on the floor. Her dinner. She reached out for it and opened it with trembling fingers. She couldn't see it very well because of the darkness, but it looked like a bit of chicken with a bit of rice and a bit of something that didn't even look edible. She tasted the rice. It was cold and clammy, and made Selphie feel sick, but she had to eat it. She was starving. 

With a feeling of dread, she took a bite out of her chicken. Cold, damp, and tasteless. Not that it was anything out of the ordinary. She had been having food like this for two weeks now. She wondered what they would give her for her last meal. Knowing them they wouldn't bother. 

Feeling the tears running down her cheeks, Selphie buried her head in her hands and cried freely. 

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Seifer sat on his bed, his heart beating fast. Evidently it _had_ been Selphie he'd been dreaming about those fourteen nights. He had to save her. She needed him. 

(A/N: Sorry if you find Seifer's thoughts boring…I'm sorry…*sob*)

But how? Seifer unsheathed his Hyperion and looked at it. He felt sure he could take on any enemy, (A/N: ooh tongue twister) but how could he even begin to save Selphie? He had no idea where she was. 

"The search team couldn't find Selphie, but maybe I can," Seifer thought. "I'll look everywhere, and I'll find her. I will!" 

He stood up, and was about to run out of the Garden when he stopped. He couldn't just run out like that. Not when the SeeD exam was in two months. He already had such a bad reputation. Running out without telling anyone would guarantee him a failing grade. And he was already nineteen. 

"Guess I'll just have to ask Headmaster Cid to let me go search for Selphie," he thought to himself. "I just have to persuade him to let me go. It can't be that difficult."

Seifer turned and walked into the elevator for the third time that morning. As he ascended, Seifer thought about what he would say to Headmaster Cid to make him agree to continue the search for Selphie. 

He reached the third floor eventually, and walked into Cid's office hurriedly. Cid was there, doing some filing. 

"Headmaster," Seifer began.

"Seifer. What a surprise. I didn't expect you," Cid replied before Seifer could continue. 

"Headmaster, I would like your permission to continue to search for Selphie Tilmitt," Seifer said quickly, trying to sound as polite as he possibly could. 

The headmaster eyed him carefully, before replying, "And why is that?" 

Seifer bit his lip, trying to resist the urge to strangle him. "I'm sure Selphie can be found," he said slowly, not wanting to tell him about how he heard Selphie call out to him in his sleep. 

Cid looked at him for a long while, then sighed and shook his head. "We have been searching for Selphie for two weeks, yet we still cannot find her anywhere. It is highly unlikely…" he paused for a moment before continuing, "that she is still alive." 

"No!" Seifer almost yelled. "She's alive. I'm sure we can find her!"

"And how do you know she's alive?" Cid retorted, trying to sound gentle.

"Because she called out to me. I heard her. She said she needed me. She can't have called out if she was dead. She needs help. She's in trouble. She's not dead!" 

"Because…" Seifer floundered, still unwilling to tell Cid about his dreams. 

Cid shook his head again. "Seifer, being a SeeD is a risky job. Sometimes, things may not happen the way we want them to, but we have to accept the outcome, no matter what it is."

"But it's only been two weeks…" he mumbled, when Cid cut him off.

"That's a long time. Why don't you go to the training center? You'll feel better."

Seifer looked up. He couldn't believe the man. Selphie was in terrible danger, and might die if he didn't help her soon. He was worried to death about her, and Cid thought training would make him forget about the fact that his friend was going to die!

Suppressing a growl, Seifer walked out of Cid's office, anger, fear and confusion flashing in his emerald green eyes. 

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(A/N: Well that's it for chappie 2! Review review review review!!!! And I'll love you forever! Hehehe…) 


	3. Ding! Idea

Disclaimer: Yeah yeah...I don't own anyone from FF8. Why do they have to rub it in?!?!? Argh. 

(A/N: Hello again!! Well chappie 3 is here! Sorry I took so long to post this…have so much homework to do. Urgh. Let's see what I have left. A book review on a book I haven't even read, and a whole chunk of Maths. Why can't they just give us a happy Christmas? Meanies. Oh crap! I sound like Rinoa! *rinses mouth* Haha sorry to all Rinoa fans…don't flame me :D Well anyway. Read on to find out what happens to Seifer. Yay!)

Seifer sat down on his bed once more, his heart beating wildly. Damn Headmaster Cid! What was the matter with him? Calling himself a headmaster…Cid the T-Rexaur was more like it. But at least you could kill T-Rexaurs, and you didn't have to worry about offending them for fear they would never make you a SeeD... Seifer snorted. What the hell was he thinking? He had to be the dumbest guy ever born, not to mention the craziest. Urgh. (A/N: Noooooo…..erm sorry about the stupid T-Rexaur thing…it's supposed to make it seem as if he's so mad he thinks nonsense but…guess the effect isn't that good. Ah well.)

Looking up at the ceiling, Seifer debated whether to run out of Garden or not. It wasn't the difficulty of escaping from Garden that bothered him, because it wasn't difficult. The last time he had done it, well…Seifer decided not to think about it. But it hadn't been that difficult. Running out of Garden, that is. Of course, he had to injure a few students the last time, but this was different. Now he could just, well, walk out and no one would stop him. 

That was what bothered him. If he left, everyone would think he was just going out for a walk, or to fight some bite bugs, or perhaps stock up on items at Balamb. He had earned their trust, and it hadn't been easy. He didn't want to blow it. He didn't want anyone to start looking at him cautiously, watching him to ensure that he didn't suddenly lose his head and start dashing off to the other end of the world to drop bombs on their heads. 

No...Not again. He had gone through it once, and he didn't think he could live the nightmare all over again. But what about Selphie? Could he possibly risk watching his whole world, the world that he had had to painstakingly build up from scratch when it had crumbled, go to ruins again, before his very eyes, for that…that Messenger Girl? 

Seifer shook his head. "Why does she mean so much to me to anyway?" he wondered. "Don't tell me…I'm in love with her?" Seifer cringed. "No...I can't be…Can I?" 

__

"Er...Ahem. This is the Headmaster speaking." Cid's voice rang out over the intercom, cutting rudely into Seifer's thoughts. _"Will Seifer Almasy please report to my office now? I repeat, Seifer Almasy, please report to my office now. Thank you."_

Seifer's heart raced. Could it be…Could it be? He leapt off his bed and burst out the door, before dashing towards the elevator at top speed, nearly knocking down a little boy in blue who was doing laps around the Garden. As he hurtled through the sliding doors, he almost hopped around from foot to foot in his excitement, but caught himself in time. Seifer Almasy didn't hop about like a little kid. That was just not cool. 

Finally, he reached Cid's office and strode in confidently, showing no sign of the elation that was bubbling away inside of him. "Yes, Headmaster?"

Cid had been prancing around his desk, looking thoughtful, but he stopped when he saw Seifer. 

"Ah, Seifer. Seifer Almasy. I've been expecting you."

__

"Yes? Yes? Yes? Oh, get on with it, old man!"

"You see, I've been thinking about what you said to me, Seifer, and…" he paused. 

__

"And…? Hurry…My hand is itching for Hyperion."

"I've come to a decision, I suppose." He turned to look at Seifer, and gave him a small smile. "I guess I _could _let you go look for Selphie after all."

__

"YEEEESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!! Finally!"

"Thank you, Headmaster. I'll do my best," he replied, still looking as calm and unruffled as ever. Cid puzzled over why this was so. He had expected the boy to be overjoyed. He frowned slightly.

"This shall be your practical SeeD exam. Come back with Selphie, or evidence that she is no longer with us, and we'll make you a SeeD." He informed Seifer carefully. "Don't disappoint me, Seifer." 

Seifer nodded and saluted the man. "I won't sir." 

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(A/N: Now before you read this, I have to warn you that this part will be the most horrible thing you've ever read. So beware…You have been warned.)

"She asleep?"

"Yeah."

"Well, what we gonna do about her?"

"Who knows. You got any bright ideas, mastermind?"

"Mastermind? What did I do?"

"You were the idiot who was whining around wanting to bring her here! We should have just left her there when she was out of it!"

"You think it was a mistake, bringing her here?"

"Obviously! Now we dunno what to do about her. We can't kill her-oh no-we'd be tracked down by a Garden-load of SeeDs. Dunno how they'll find us, but being SeeDs they probably will. We can't let her loose, she'd be running around telling everyone where to find us and they'd be after us like lightning."

"We could always find another hiding place."

"You know anywhere better, you useless moron?"

"No…"

"Helpful. Indeed."

"…We could kill her and leave her here."

"And leave her to stink up the whole of our hide-out? You really want that? Now stop blabbering and think up something useful for a change."

"Bury her?"

"Don't be an idiot. I don't wanna bury someone's body."

"We could drown her, perhaps?"

"……"

"……"

"We could beat her senseless…"

"……"

"Yeah…kinda slip her into the water when it's night?"

"Yeah! Great idea, huh?"

"What are _you _doing taking the credit? Anyway, we have to plan her death. Tomorrow night, we fly her far away from here, and drown her."

"…Yeah."

"Brilliant. Just brilliant. They'll think she drowned by herself, won't bother to look into the matter further."

"Wonderful, boss."

"Good. Now get outta here before I drown you too."

"…Yes, boss. On my way, boss."

With that, he scuttled out of the room, leaving behind a dark, sinister-looking man with a sneer on his face.

(A/N: Told you it sucked big time. I shall never attempt this kind of conversation again. Heehee.) 

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Seifer sat in the pilot seat of the Ragnorak, smiling. He could hardly believe his luck. Headmaster Cid had actually let him have the entire Ragnorak, all to himself. He hoped he wouldn't let him down. Seifer smiled again. He couldn't wait to see that cute little Messenger girl again. He longed to see her flipped hairdo and the cheeky gleam in her eye when she smiled, and wondered if she would throw her arms around him when he had saved her. 

Seifer suddenly noticed a high mountain looming in front of him, and he swerved abruptly to avoid crashing into it. The sudden jerk seemed to bring him back to reality, and Seifer began to feel his heart beating faster again, anxiety running through every vein in his body. Where was Selphie? He had to stop fantasizing about her and get down to the business of actually saving her before he could think of anything else. 

Seifer quickly landed the Ragnorak. He was near Esthar, he noted. No wonder the land was so rocky and practically filled with mountains. He leant over in his seat, thinking hard. Maybe she'd fallen somewhere, or just got lost in a forest or something. He couldn't fly all over the world, looking everywhere for her. It wasted too much time. Selphie could be dead by then. Seifer shuddered.

"Think, Seifer!" he scolded himself mentally, digging his fingers into his scalp. "Where could she be?" 

"Where was she two weeks ago?" he thought desperately. "Where did she go? Where? How can I find out?"

He groaned and flopped back into his seat. He had blown it. He was never going to find Selphie. Scouting the entire globe for one girl. He should have known it was impossible. Now he was never going to become a SeeD. Ever. He just knew it. 

Frustration was building up in him, and he had the sudden urge to ram the Ragnorak into a mountain. It would feel good, certainly. He was just contemplating it when the solution, the answer to all his problems, hit him in the face like a ton of bricks, making him leap up in the air and snap his fingers in glee. He knew he probably looked like a fool, but he didn't care. Finally, after all that worrying, he had got it. He didn't know why he hadn't seen it before. 

He sat back down joyfully, shaking his head at his blindness. Smirking confidently, he steered the Ragnorak carefully towards the city of Esthar. 

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(A/N: So...how was it? Haha I've finally got it up! Oooh jubilation!!! Please review…I love them…hee. Was Seifer a bit OOC? I mean jumping up snapping his fingers and all…hmm. Anyway, hope you liked it! Review!)


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